Writing my acknowledgments was a part of the publishing process I was equally excited about and dreading. It’s so much pressure! What if I forgot someone? What if I called out one person specifically and someone else took offense?
The acknowledgments were my chance to give thanks to all of the people that helped me achieve success and I wanted to make sure I got it right.
Spoiler alert: I didn’t.
Instead, I managed to mess up the most important part which was making sure that I got my acknowledgments submitted in time to get them into the finished audiobook production. Ugh.
Submitting them late meant that, because of the pandemic, there was no way to get them recorded and included in the original release.
And that makes me sad. Because while I might not have got the timing right…I definitely think I got the words right.
So without further adieu, here they are…
There are so many people I want to thank because, without each of them, this book never would have seen the light of day.
First and foremost to my editor Lara Blackman. Thank you for seeing enough potential in my 280 character tweet pitch to want to read more. Your enthusiasm for Can’t Take It Back was all I needed to convince me that releasing my debut novel as an Audible Original was absolutely the right step. From the beginning, you saw what I wanted to accomplish with this book and got us there together. Thank you for all your support and encouragement throughout this entire process.
To my wonderful agent Katie Shea Boutillier. I knew from the moment we first talked on the phone that you just “got me”, both as a writer and a person. With every new step I take in the publishing process I am so grateful to have you by my side. Thank you for believing in me.
To my incredibly talented critique partner Joanna Drake. Yelling at you from across the restaurant at the Surrey International Writers Conference and insisting you eat lunch with me was one of the best (and most out of character) decisions I’ve ever made. I’m so glad you didn’t run away from the crazy yelling lady that day because your editing insights made this book infinitely better. Thank you for always being there for me and willing to share a bottle of white even though you much prefer red.
To all of my early readers, thank you for always giving me your honest feedback. For taking the time to copy edit rather than just read and for sharing your excitement about your favorite scenes or characters. Special shout out to my dear friend Jaime for reading Can’t Take It Back on her cracked iPhone screen in just a few days. That is a special level of love right there.
To my wonderful mum, thank you for always being my first reader and my biggest champion. I know I never would have accomplished this incredible goal without your love, support, and encouragement guiding me along the way. I am infinitely grateful to be your daughter.
To my husband…where to start? From junior high to the here and now, ours has truly been an incredible journey. And while it has been far from perfect it has been a journey filled with more laughter than tears, more joy than sadness and more adventure than I was sometimes ready for. Thank you for never making me feel bad about taking time away from you and the kids to write because you understood I was making myself feel bad enough for both of us. Thank you for bringing me coffee in bed, for never questioning if I actually needed to buy a new book, and for putting my debut novel in the window of our Christmas Village. These are the little things that show me you love me and make me so glad I said ‘okay’ when you asked me to marry you.
Finally, to my girls. The lights of my life. Thank you for showing me that motherhood wasn’t just a new title to add to my life resume, but rather an opportunity to grow and to learn. You have both taught me so much about myself and added to my self-worth in ways I never could have imagined. Your genuine excitement for all of my writing successes showed me that I wasn’t selfish in taking time to myself to write. But instead, I was showing you how to prioritize a dream. I hope you do the same. You are both so incredibly talented and creative in your own ways and I can’t wait to see where life takes you. Wherever the destination, I will always be in your corner and on your side. I love you both to the moon and back and feel so lucky to be your mum.
